Tuesday April 23, 2024
Theme: “The Christian facing death”
Text: Ecclesiastes 9:1-5
1. Yes, I have applied my heart to all this, I have examined all this, and I have seen that the righteous and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God , and love as well as hatred; men know nothing: everything is before them. 2. Everything happens equally to everyone; the same fate for the righteous and for the wicked, for the good and pure and for the impure, for the one who sacrifices and for the one who does not sacrifice; it is with the good as with the sinner, with the one who swears as with the one who fears to swear. 3. This is an evil among all that is done under the sun, that there is the same fate for all; also the hearts of the sons of men are full of wickedness, and foolishness is in their hearts while they live; after which, they go to the dead. Because who is excepted? 4. For all who live there is hope; and even a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5. The living, indeed, know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and there is no more pay for them, since their memory is forgotten.
Let's remember:
We will be able to accomplish everything in life, we will be able to carry out big projects, we can also own everything; but our final fate is death. It is she who completes the journey of the just, as well as that of the unjust. The ecclesiastes applied his heart to all this, he made all this the object of his examination, and he saw that the righteous and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God, as much for the love and hate. But all this does not exclude death. Our works do not deter death. Regardless of social, political, economic or spiritual class, we suffer the same fate. The righteous, the wicked, the pure, the impure, the one who sacrifices, the one who does not sacrifice; the good, the sinner, the one who swears or the one who fears to swear… everyone finishes their earthly pilgrimage and stands before the door of death, each waiting their turn. No exception is required as was the case for Enoch, Elijah, Moses who had been gathered to God by rapture. The only difference is that the righteous have hope of salvation after death. He does not fear death, he braves it and does not reject it because it is the obligatory passage to join God his Father and enter eternal life. Excellent Tuesday. Amen
Alain Louz.-